This article is part of our DraftKings NHL series.
Colorado held serve at home, winning the first two games of this series. They were decidedly different games, though, with the Oilers offense being held to zero goals on Game 2. Now, the series moves to Edmonton. What happens now? Well, for DFS purposes, you get $50,000 in salary for six players. Your captain provides 1.5 times the points, but also will have an elevated salary. Here's a roster you could go with Saturday.
CAPTAIN
Leon Draisaitl, EDM vs. COL ($13,500): I don't expect Edmonton to be held in check in back-to-back games, especially not at home. Draisaitl produces almost as much as McDavid, but he comes at a lower salary. For the captain, that especially matters. You can save salary and still get a guy who has 28 points in 14 playoff games. The only two games he doesn't have points in? The ones where the Oilers were shut out.
FLEX
Nathan MacKinnon, COL at EDM ($10,600): After Colorado dropped 12 goals over the first two games of this series, I couldn't eschew the man that drives its offense. He's tallied 10 goals and six assists in only 12 playoff games. MacKinnon was absolutely central to the Avalanche's success in Game 2, putting 11 shots on Mike Smith, who has been decidedly hot-and-cold in this postseason.
Zach Hyman, EDM vs. COL ($7,600): Hyman had a six-game goal streak end in Game 2, but he still put three shots on net. Also, he still played 3:46 on the power play. That kind of time with the extra man is notable, as the Avalanche only ranked 15th on the penalty kill this season.
Valeri Nichushkin, COL at EDM ($6,600): Nichushkin got to spend a lot of time this season on the first line alongside MacKinnon, and it paid off. He put up career highs in goals (25) and points (52) in only 62 games. The Russian started the playoffs hot with seven points in eight games, but he was dropped down to the second line for a bit and he also experienced a cool off. Now, though, he's been back alongside MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog, a great place to be.
Evan Bouchard, EDM vs. COL ($6,200): Bouchard has started 55.9 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone in the playoffs, tops on the Oilers. They are hoping to tap into the skills that helped the young defenseman to a breakout campaign. This year he managed 12 goals on 205 shots on net, picked up 31 assists, and had 112 blocked shots for good measure.
Artturi Lehkonen, COL at EDM ($5,400): The Avalanche made Lehkonen a top-six forward as soon as he joined the team from Montreal, and he managed six goals on 45 shots on net in 16 regular-season games. Lehkonen is off to a hot start to this series, with three points in two games. Meanwhile, Smith is off to the opposite of a hot start in net for the Oilers.
